Mead Garden and Leu Gardens

Took a while but I finally made it to Mead Garden hoping for some good bird sightings. Things seemed a bit too quiet as I stepped out of the van, though. Some birds did pop out fairly quickly but these were local species, Cardinals and Parula. But it was odd. They are were swarming down to the van once I walked away. From what I could tell, these birds have now developed a new feeding technique. Once a vehicle pulls into the parking lot they swoop down to inspect it for bugs stuck to it. I am assuming this because they only checked out the windshield, rear view mirrors, and the grill. Weird. It did make for an easy shot of a Northern Parula which is fine by me.



Right after that I headed toward the amphitheater and the creek but I was already getting the feeling that this would be a sparse birding experience. Nothing in the trees but Parulas and only and Egret and a Great-blue Heron in the creek. Cardinals called. A few Chimney Swifts, but nothing else stirring.

Over one the boardwalk a Cat Bird and more Parulas until a Swainson's Thrush jumped out of the wetland and watched me from the rails.



A Blackpoll Warbler zoomed out from the willows and back again for a brief view and I scared up some Blue Grosbeaks but there were no other birds until a Red-bellied Woodpecker can out for a grocery run. Ya take what ya can get.



I ran into a couple other birding friends but they weren't seeing too much on the other side of the garden, either. I decided to head to the nearby Leu Gardens to try my luck there. Again, too quiet. Some Northern Waterthrushes skittered through the underbrush along the stream and a few birds were out around the lake. The Osprey caught my eye before I headed deeper into the gardens.



I spent another 30 minutes or so at Leu but, honestly, I may have taken 3 other photos and those were landscape. Sigh. So much for my day off finding birds. There was more activity at the house before I left. In fact, when I got back home I looked out back and saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak on the back feeder. The only shot I could get was a blurry shot as she got scared of me stepping outside.



Like I say, birds go where they wanna go. Today it was far from where I was. Think I need to head back to the lakes soon.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak of a Different Color

I walked through the kitchen and took a glance out through the back window, as I always do, and noticed a bird hopping down into the Cherry Laurel tree. It didn't appear to be the usual Catbirds that have been using this tree as a perch on their way to the next feeder or birdbath.

Size seemed a little different, though. Grabbed the spare bins and peered through them to find a Rose-breasted Grosbeak! Not one of the earlier males I had seen before but a female.

I spent the next 90 minutes trying to get a better look and hopefully a photo but, man, this was one skittish bird. It was moving from back to side to front at different points but every time I so much as cracked a door open it would bolt.

Perseverance paid off, in the long run. The bird finally settled into a spot below the kitchen window where I had the screen open and had the camera in hand.



She spent a few minutes feeding under the feeders, this time not seeming to notice me as I leaned closer toward the windowsill.



I love the striking facial pattern and the glowing spots on the wings.



Thanks for stopping by, little lady!

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Wow!

A couple of things outside along with the House Finches today. The first good shot was a Common Grackle scarfing down a few sunflower seeds before heading off.



Just a bit later I was stopped straight in my tracks by the bright bird I caught in my sights. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was sitting all comfortably on the wife's sunflower feeder. Sweet!



Only 3 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been seen in our yard over the years and they always show up around the same exact day.

I snapped away like crazy and got a shot of the bird with a House Finch trying to ignore the transient visitor. My favorite shot.



What other treats await us this migration season? Stay tuned...

My, What a GROSbeak!

How to make your family a bit perturbed.

We had packed up the car for our camping trip, the kids were in their seats, we were ready to drive off but I decided I had better check that I had locked the backdoor one more time.

I reached for the key to lock the door I had actually forgotten to lock and stopped in my tracks. A black-winged bird had flown down to the tray feeder. Then another. The white belly and red breast were unmistakable. Two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks had found our house and right when I had to leave.

I ran back to the front of the house, reached into the running car, muttered there was a bird out back and hurried back inside. I knew the eyes of my family were rolling and sighs were expelled but this was the best view of these birds I had ever had. But with so little time I only managed to lean out of the backdoor and get at least a confirming shot.



I would have loved to stay and try for better light or angles but we HAD to get going. Later on, the oldest, who was suppose to be at a different overnight camping trip got a migraine and asked to come home. Which meant I had to actually drive back home, pick him up, and head back to the campsite.

As we rounded the lake to make it back toward the highway and the coast I noticed a Black-necked Stilt and a couple other birds. I had the camera with me so I stopped quickly and jumped out for a few shots to ID later. I was surprised to find later that one of the birds I was seeing was a Stilt Sandpiper!



Nice addition to the growing list of new birds at the lake.

Off to high winds for the weekend.